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Ex-Secretary of State for Wales says BBC ‘less keen to be called British’ because it uses ‘Welsh branding’

27 Aug 2021 3 minute read
John Redwood MP by Richard Townshend (CC BY 3.0)

A former Secretary of State for Wales has said the BBC “seems less keen to be called British” because it uses “Welsh branding”.

John Redwood, the Tory MP for Wokingham in Berkshire, took aim at the British Broadcasting Corporation for being “respectful of Scottish and Welsh culture and identity” but stumbling “over UK and English identity”.

The Conservative politician claimed that they “love pictures” with “Welsh dragon flags but make a joke of the Union flag.

He argued that its “treatment of England is a disgrace” and that it is as if the country “did not exist”.

Redwood also accused the BBC of boosting the nationalist movement in Wales, buy helping it gain “gain more voice for protest and grievance”.

On his blog, he wrote: “There is no adjective to describe U.K. ness. Pro Union citizens of the U.K. in Northern Ireland are happy to be called British even though technically our country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

“The BBC seems less keen to be called British, using Scottish and Welsh branding in those parts of the Union whilst trying to break up England with regional branding that fails to resonate with most English people.

“The BBC’s treatment of England is a disgrace. It is as if our country did not exist. We are treated in England to a regular diet of commentary on the words and deeds of the SNP government in Scotland.

“The BBC gives Scotland its own Scottish news then muddles the national newscast with English news because it cannot bring itself to have an English news to match the Scottish news.

“The BBC is respectful of Scottish and Welsh culture and identity but stumbles over UK and English identity.

“They love pictures with plenty of Scottish saltires and Welsh dragon flags but make a joke of the Union flag and repress the English flag most of the time.

“Most national broadcasters would be happy with their flag over their websites and close to their newsreaders, but you could not see the BBC ever wanting to do that.

“The BBC website is largely devoid of symbols, colours and familiar favourite history of the UK, and carefully screened to remove anything that could reflect well on England.

‘Fanned division’ 

He also said: “The BBC is meant to be a U.K. institution. It should help create a sense of common culture and shared democratic conversation for citizens anywhere in our Union who want that. Instead in recent years the BBC has fanned division.

“It has helped nationalist movements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland gain more voice for protest and grievance.

“It has belittled and ignored England, perhaps with a view to building an English backlash to nationalisms elsewhere in our Union as the SNP and others want.

“By highlighting the differences and the better deal Scotland has over funding per head, access to higher education and social care the BBC has done the SNP’s work for them in trying to create English grievance.

“The U.K. is a complex country. Many cannot describe the subtle differences between UK and GB, or explain the relative powers of the UK and Scottish Parliaments or even remember the different voting system used in devolved elections.


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Mark
Mark
2 years ago

Yet another pointless anti Wales dig by an equally pointless tory politician, my advice to Redwood is, get a life!

Welsh_Sion
Welsh_Sion
2 years ago
Reply to  Mark

… my advice to Redwood is, get a life!

____________

Too polite.

Use the Scottish vernacular:

… my advice to Redwood is, GTF!

W. Ken Davies
W. Ken Davies
2 years ago

Perhaps England does not exist without Wales and Scotland. From Roman times it has been known as Lloegr by the Welsh – presumably that part of Britain that was no longer free. It seems to be the threat of Welsh and Scottish withdrawal from the Union that has galvanised English identity – that part of Britain which is not Scotland or Wales. What is it that Mr Redwood shares with Andy Burnham that he does not share with, for example, Chris Bryant or David TC Davies? Whatever it is not may be called English.

Mick Tems
Mick Tems
2 years ago

My everlasting image of Redwood, the so-called Welsh Secretary. is of him stupidly mouthing the lyrics of our national anthem. This English Tory doesn’t understand the Welsh language and he doesn’t understand Wales either. The sooner that Wales votes for independence, the better.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Mick Tems

Yes – everlasting image! I can still see him gurning like a goldfish.

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago
Reply to  Mick Tems

He does not know anything about Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Welsh_Sion
Welsh_Sion
2 years ago
Reply to  Mick Tems

The internet never forgets.

Courtesy of youtube and others:

John Redwood miming the Welsh National Anthem – YouTube

John
John
2 years ago

Did he actually say this or just ‘mouth’ it?

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago
Reply to  John

Neither, he was communicating through his arse as usual

Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

Vulcan ignored shock.

CJPh
CJPh
2 years ago

The mandate the BBC has is to be a national broadcaster. That’s it. It does not extend to defining or propping up any underlying ‘identity’, but to reflect and inform based on the reality of the nation – given that there is no real uniform identity, the beeb should not be expected to act as though there is one. For all the emnity one can hold against Auntie, it is by far the best publicly-funded broadcaster in the world. Post indy, I see no reason why the Beeb should not continue in some form, maybe even an enhanced form; we’ll… Read more »

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago
Reply to  CJPh

The BBC is too anti-Welsh for me to support its existence after independence.

Ieuan Evans
Ieuan Evans
2 years ago

I wouldn’t worry about John Redwood, he’s not real.

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago
Reply to  Ieuan Evans

What he is doing is dangerous because it could lead to resentment among English people towards Wales and Scotland.

Welsh_Sion
Welsh_Sion
2 years ago
Reply to  Stephen Owen

You don’t say? I thought he was just a latest manifestation or mouthpiece of such prejudice and hatred over the centuries exhibited by some of the English of ‘anybody who’s not like us’.

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago

The BBC is anti-Welsh and insists in allowing its journalists and commenaters to use the word “Welshing”. There is no point complaining to the BBC as someone will just reply saying it is not offensive, unaccontable.

Gareth Jones
Gareth Jones
2 years ago

He is just and extreme right wing English nationalist and belongs to a crime syndicate working out of Westminster with branches in Cardiff and Edinburugh

Ann
Ann
2 years ago

The “national” i.e. UK news on BBC is primarily focused on England with token references to the other nations, although this has improved during the pandemic. They then have what they cal the “regional” news. England is divided into many regions, each ov which has their own version. Personally I resent the news for the nations of Wales and Scotland being referred to as regional!

I Wright
I Wright
2 years ago

How long before being Welsh or Scottish constitutes being ant-English or British. I’m being serious.

Welsh_Sion
Welsh_Sion
2 years ago
Reply to  I Wright

Already in existence, I believe. We’re subsidy junkies, sh—p sh—-ers, speak some sort of gibberish with no vowels (not an actual language, you understand) – that freezes out all incomers to our pubs, are rabid, dour Calvinistic Methodists, who have a passion for coal and chasing eggs on the green sward as well as polluting genteel ears with something called ‘male voice singing.’ Our national vegetable is the pungent leek, our country ‘the fag end of God’s creation’, our women are of loose morals and our men are ‘swarthy, stunted little trolls’. We have no literature or culture or cuisine… Read more »

Welsh_Sion
Welsh_Sion
2 years ago

This was 1st published 50 years ago – Happy Anniversary, Ned Thomas! (Later edition also available on the internet).

Essentially reading for ‘our friends over the border’ and others.

ned-thomas-the-welsh-extremist.pdf (cymdeithas.cymru)

Cris Cogydd
Cris Cogydd
2 years ago

Apart from all the obvious rubbish within this diatribe, it is inaccurate and not-too- subtly anti Welsh and anti Scots. Whenever I watch the BBC “national” channels I am well aware that they are Anglo Centric

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